Cranfield and HyphaPro Test Fungal Precision Fermentation of Ovotransferrin, the Iron-Binding Egg White Protein

Researchers at Cranfield University in the UK are working with Exeter biotech startup HyphaPro to test whether engineered filamentous fungi can produce ovotransferrin through precision fermentation. Ovotransferrin is an egg white protein used in dietary supplements and functional foods, and its supply today depends on hen eggs.

The project aims to deliver a proof-of-concept production process that could later be scaled up and developed commercially. If the approach works, the team says it could be extended to other high-value proteins.

Why ovotransferrin, and why now

Ovotransferrin binds iron and has antimicrobial properties, which is why it is used in supplements and functional food formulations. Because it is extracted from egg white, Cranfield says its supply is exposed to bird flu outbreaks, rising costs and environmental pressures on egg production.

That supply risk is familiar to food manufacturers after repeated avian influenza disruption to egg markets. Most of the commercial effort in precision-fermented egg proteins has gone into ovalbumin, the main protein in egg white, which is used as a functional ingredient for foaming, binding and gelling. Ovotransferrin serves a different, smaller set of buyers, so the Cranfield project tests whether fungal fermentation can supply a second, higher-value egg protein to the supplement and functional food market.

Engineered fungal strains in controlled tanks

The team will grow specially engineered fungal strains in controlled fermentation tanks and assess whether they secrete ovotransferrin. Filamentous fungi are widely used in industrial biotechnology as production hosts for enzymes and other proteins, and HyphaPro has worked on fungal production of both ovalbumin and ovotransferrin since opening its first laboratory at Exeter Science Park in January.

The work is led by Dr Abhishek Baghela, Senior Lecturer at Cranfield, with Lecturer Dr Carla Cervini, and is based at the university’s Magan Centre of Applied Mycology. Cranfield set up the centre with £7.2 million from Research England’s Expanding Excellence in England fund. HyphaPro director Dr Andrew J. Foster is the industry partner.

“As demand grows for sustainable ingredients, we need to explore new ways to produce valuable proteins without putting additional pressure on our traditional food systems,” said Dr Baghela. “Through this project we aim to demonstrate the potential of fungal precision fermentation to manufacture high-value functional ingredients.”

Part of NAPIC’s collaborative funding round

The project is funded by the UK’s National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (NAPIC). In September, NAPIC awarded more than £1 million across 33 collaborative projects in its second round of Collaborative Programme Funding, and the HyphaPro–Cranfield work was among them. The value of this individual grant and the project timeline have not been disclosed.

What it means for ingredient buyers

For now, this is early-stage research rather than a commercial supply route. Any fungal-derived ovotransferrin would still need to show competitive titres and downstream purification costs, and would require novel food authorisation before use in foods in the UK or EU.

• Target protein: ovotransferrin, an iron-binding egg white protein used in supplements and functional foods.
• Production host: engineered filamentous fungi grown in controlled fermentation tanks.
• Stage: proof of concept, with potential later scale-up and extension to other high-value proteins.
• Funding: NAPIC Collaborative Programme Funding; grant value not disclosed.

Even so, the project reflects a broader shift in precision fermentation from bulk replacement proteins towards smaller-volume, higher-margin functional ingredients, where premium pricing can help offset the cost of scaling a new microbial production process.